The year 2021 was marked by a number of important events on the Asian continent, in the Middle East and a number of other regions. Regime changes, armed conflicts, the rapid growth in the number of terrorist attacks — that’s the outcome of the short-sighted policies employed by certain countries…

The “New Eastern Outlook” editorial board want to thank our authors and readers for the their contribution to the efforts of the international community, both diplomatic and media ones, made in an attempt to reduce international tension, to minimize regional conflicts, especially the armed ones, to improve the political climate on our planet.

We want to wish each an every one of you family happiness, peaceful sky over your head,  good health and a lot of success in your good deeds and endeavors in the year 2022.

Next year we will strive to strengthen our cooperation even further and to expand the range of our readers and authors.

Happy New Year to you all!

The “New Eastern Outlook” editorial board.

The last year was marked by a number of important events that NEO’s been covering daily due to the valiant effort of all of our authors. The rapid growth in the number of terrorist attacks and the ongoing armed conflicts — that is the outcome of the short-sighted policies employed by certain countries and Wahhabi states.

The “New Eastern Outlook” editorial board want to thank our authors and readers for the their contribution to the efforts of the international community, both diplomatic and media ones, made in an attempt to reduce international tension, to minimize regional conflicts, especially the armed ones, and to improve the political climate on our planet.

On the eve of Christmas and New Year holidays, we want to wish each an every one of you family happiness, peaceful sky over your head,  good health and a lot of success in your good deeds and endeavors.

Next year we will strive to strengthen our cooperation even further and to expand the range of our readers and authors.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

The “New Eastern Outlook” editorial board

Dear readers!

Our website, which has been the target of coordinated attacks staged by our opponents for a long time, fell victim to a massive hacker breach. This latest attack that resulted in the temporary inaccessibility of the site was launched from the US territory. Currently, its functionality has been fully restored. All information about the attack was handed over to local law enforcing agencies.

In this respect, it’s necessary to clarify that all materials published by the perpetrators of this attack on May 20th were fake and that NEO editorial board does not bear any responsibility for them.

Paraphrasing the words of Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, our “Western friends” have once again shown what manners they practice. We believe that such attempts at interfering in our work are absolutely unacceptable. As it’s been stated at a press briefing by Jen Psaki on May 13, even for a country, from where an attack comes, “there’s still some responsibility”.

Thank you for staying with us!

The “New Eastern Outlook” editorial board.

Dear readers and authors,

We want to full-heartedly congratulate you on the 76th anniversary of the great victory of the Second World War. This is a day of our common memory, a day of celebration of a great feat.

Victory Day unites everyone, regardless of their religious views, of their nationality, and of their political and social alignment. After all, there is no family in Russia that wasn’t affected by this conflict, granted there were countless families in other states that endured suffering and hardship of one of the most terrible and bloody wars in history.

There’s monuments all over the vast expanse of Russia and far beyond its borders commemorating the soldiers that made the ultimate sacrifice during this war. The eternal flame will never stop burning, as on this day people come to pay gratitude and lay flowers. With the deepest respect and sorrow, we bow our heads to those fallen on the battlefield. We thank them for the opportunity of living under peaceful skies for the last 76 years, building cities, cultivating crops and raising children. The more days that go by, the deeper our awareness becomes of this great feat achieved on the battlefield.

Having liberated the world from the Nazi threat, the Soviet people have always been persistent in their attempts of protecting the world. And today, Russia stands for the cessation of all wars, for peaceful and constructive discussions, for the cooperation of all peoples in the name of common good and the improvement of people’s lives.

On the day of the Great Victory, we wish everyone good health, heartfelt warmth, care and attention of those who are dear to your, and may every new day be peaceful, with clear skies over our heads!

The New Eastern Outlook editorial board.

]]> https://journal-neo.org/2021/05/09/happy-victory-day-2/feed/ 0 https://journal-neo.org/2021/04/04/happy-easter-4/ https://journal-neo.org/2021/04/04/happy-easter-4/#comments Sun, 04 Apr 2021 05:32:30 +0000 https://journal-neo.org/?p=153816

Dear readers and authors,

Easter is one of the most important Christian events of the year. Commemorating Christ’s Resurrection, we would like to offer you our warmest regards on this bright holiday. May the light of the Resurrection always illuminate your path toward righteousness. Christ always warms you in good deeds.

Let’s join forces in the name of creative works in ending wars and conflicts for whatever reasons there may be, wherever they may occur, and help deliver peace to humanity.

The New Eastern Outlook editorial board.

The year 2020 was marked by a number of important events on the Asian continent, in the Middle East and a number of other regions. Regime changes, armed conflicts, the rapid growth in the number of terrorist attacks — that’s the outcome of the short-sighted policies employed by certain countries…

The “New Eastern Outlook” editorial board want to thank our authors and readers for the their contribution to the efforts of the international community, both diplomatic and media ones, made in an attempt to reduce international tension, to minimize regional conflicts, especially the armed ones, to improve the political climate on our planet.

We want to wish each an every one of you family happiness, peaceful sky over your head,  good health and a lot of success in your good deeds and endeavors in the year 2021.

Next year we will strive to strengthen our cooperation even further and to expand the range of our readers and authors.

Happy New Year to you all!

The “New Eastern Outlook” editorial board.

The last year was marked by a number of turbulent events that affected day to day lives of a large number of people. The spread of new viruses, natural disasters and the ongoing armed conflicts — those are the primary challenges that the short-sighted international community fails to address as one.

The “New Eastern Outlook” editorial board want to thank our authors and readers for the their contribution to the efforts of the international community, both diplomatic and media ones, made in an attempt to reduce international tension, to minimize regional conflicts, especially the armed ones, and to improve the political climate on our planet.

On the eve of Christmas and New Year holidays, we want to wish each an every one of you family happiness, peaceful sky over your head,  good health and a lot of success in your good deeds and endeavors.

Next year we will strive to strengthen our cooperation even further and to expand the range of our readers and authors.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

The “New Eastern Outlook” editorial board

In Africa, more and more conflicts are moving from previously “sluggish” stages to “hot.” This trend is confirmed by the recent events in Mozambique along with development of Morocco’s situation with the integration of Western Sahara recognized by several states of the world as the territory occupied by Moroccans, the recent attempt of a military coup in Mali, the Libyan crisis, and the armed conflict in Ethiopia. Although various opposing forces participate in all these events, more and more clearly, “external players” are often seen behind their backs, trying to use ethnic and religious contradictions for their purposes. Simultaneously, what is striking is that basically, such a struggle for dominance is taking place in African countries rich in natural resources or having a geostrategic advantage, which is the primary reason for the loosening of the situation in them by “external forces.”

In addition to ongoing attempts by the terrorist group DAESH (banned in the Russian Federation – ed.) to create an “African bridgehead” after the defeat in the Middle East, in the “confrontation” that has grown in recent years on African soil, “external actors” are increasingly seen trying to secure regional dominance. Today, the Chinese, Americans, British, Turks, and French have settled in Africa along with many other influential actors of global politics. Therefore, a political and military confrontation in this vital region will continue to grow. Those used to solving some issues with the help of force are already demonstrating their readiness.

An example of a mixture of internal problems and external actors’ activities is Ethiopia’s escalating armed conflict in recent weeks.

According to a recent study by the Center for Global Development (USA), Ethiopia is the new “African China.” All the fundamental factors are already in place to achieve such an ambitious goal in the next 5-10 years. The country shows the dynamics of an increase in the gross product at 10% per year, ranking third after China and Myanmar in the top ten nations with the highest GDP per capita growth rates, with its GDP standing at a whooping 277%! However, the population is growing at the same high rate, which last year exceeded 100 million, and in the next 30 years may reach 190 million. In recent years, Ethiopia has been implementing a comprehensive plan for economic restructuring, suggesting that by 2025 it will become the manufacturing center of Africa in industries such as textiles, leather, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and energy. All this leads to clear financing resources, such as foreign direct investment of more than $10 billion a year, including an enormous Chinese investment portfolio, especially within the Belt and Road project. Ethiopia is a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, possessing significant project potential with real funding sources.

No surprises that the American company Stratfor in its annual forecasts has repeatedly pointed out that Ethiopia’s systemic regional strengthening is becoming a key trend. Ethiopia was called a “rising star” capable of actively attracting investments from China and Arab countries, first and foremost from the UAE, particularly, in transport, energy, industry, mining, and tourism.

However, despite these seemingly excellent prospects, a severe armed internal conflict between the central authorities and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has been mushrooming since mid-2020. TPLF is the leading player in the recent Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) which fought against the Mengistu Haile Mariam Dictator’s regime and overthrew him in 1991.

Tigray is a small province in the north of the country with 9 million people (less than 10% of the entire state’s population), having close ties with China in the recent period. Natives of Tigray for many years occupied a prominent place in the management of Ethiopian politics. The command staff of the army mainly consisted of Tigrayans. Also, the country’s best weapons, including a significant amount of heavy weapons, were at bases in the province of Tigray.  The young and ambitious Abiy Ahmed Ali, chairman of the Oromo Democratic Party, which is part of the EPRDF, came to power in 2018 as prime minister. He fought tribalism in the country and the claims of the TPLF because of the desire of the central authorities to exclude people from this province from participating in governing the country.

It is worth noting that in his confrontation with China’s growing influence and the internal conflict with the Tigray province, Abiy Ahmed Ali, since his assumption of power, has been enjoying active support from the United States which, mainly through Western intellectuals, in order to enhance his status contributed to his being awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

In August, Ethiopia was supposed to elect a new parliament. Due to the coronavirus epidemic however, it was decided to postpone the elections indefinitely, although the incidence of COVID-19 in this country is very low. In disagreement with the central authorities’ decision regarding it as a usurpation of power, the Tigray province held regional elections, formed a new parliament, declaring Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali illegitimate. In response, the Ethiopian parliament voted to strip Tigray of federal funding worth $ 281 million for this fiscal year. This decision was followed by an armed confrontation in early November. On November 3, TPLF rebels attacked military targets in the Ethiopian town of Mek’ele, killing several Ethiopian army personnel and seizing warehouses. On November 20, they launched a missile attack on the town of Bahir Dar in the neighboring Amhara province, where one of the largest bases of the Ethiopian Air Force is located. In response, Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, ordered army units to Tigray to restore order in the region. The Ethiopian Air Force launched airstrikes on military targets in Mek’ele, Tigray’s capital, and its surrounding.

In the first few weeks, the conflict had already claimed thousands of lives. Due to the massive outflow of the Tigray province residents, a full-scale humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Ethiopia. As the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced on November 17, according to the UN agency, up to 4 thousand people leave the area daily. International organizations call on the warring parties in Ethiopia to end the armed confrontation and resolve the accumulated internal problems during negotiations.

Analysts do not exclude that the United States may be involved in aggravating the contradictions between the central authorities of Ethiopia and the Tigray province due to the competition with China. There is also a possibility that the United States may enter the war directly to protect its citizens in this country, giving Washington the right to enter this pro-Chinese region (located at the junction of Eritrea, Sudan, including Ethiopia itself) to stay there indefinitely.

Vladimir Danilov, political observer, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

Last week, the US State Department presented yet another report on Russia’s alleged steps in the “dispersion of fake news”. The report was released under a scandalous title: “Russia’s Pillars of Disinformation and Propaganda”, however, the creativity of those behind the report ended with that title. At first glance, it would seem that there would be a lot of substance in a 77-pages long paper that features a lot of colorful pictures. However, the low quality of the analysis presented outweighs the picturesque advantages of the report.

It’s clear that this paper was prepared in a hurry in anticipation of the 2020 Democratic National Convention that is scheduled for August 17-20. The very topic of the report reeks of something stale. However, those behind the report have somehow come to a conclusion that their ability to release a colorful brochure would make their words sound more “scientific”. However, they fell short of fulfilling their aspirations.

From the very start of the paper its authors began leveling baseless accusations against the media sources that dare to voice opinions that contradict the views of those behind the brochure, that’s why they are labelled as “propaganda outlets” and “disinformation operations.” How else can one explain the fact that a popular Canadian site Global Research was featured in this paper?

Our journal, New Eastern Outlook, has also ended up on that list, where it was for some reason described as a “pseudo-academic publication.” It’s clear that those who wanted to frame our journal as a “source of propaganda and disinformation” didn’t know how to marry that notion with the fact that we’re hosted at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In that respect, one could hardly resist the temptation of quoting the renowned Russian diplomat, poet and writer Alexander Griboyedov, who wrote in his comedy Woe from Wit: “Who are the Judges?!”

On what grounds do those behind the aforementioned paper pass their judgement about a journal by only reading titles, without studying the articles themselves? We, for once, don’t know anything about the scientific achievements of those behind the brochure, about their previous publications and presentations. We don’t even know their names.

The content of the aforementioned report speaks volumes about the incredibly low level of analytical approach professed by those who tried to draft it. Back in the Cold War years, there were hundreds of analytical centres all across the United States that studied anything and everything Russia-related, however the foundation upon which they were built is all but destroyed these days. And it seems that this shallow approach has become the new normal for US foreign policy in different parts of the world. Our journal specializes in the study of Middle Eastern and African problems and we know a lot about the consequences of the policies that Washington pursued in these regions of the world. Even American media sources and American politicians are now forced to recognize the disastrous consequences of the short-sighted decisions of the United States. At the same time, they are the ones to recognize the success of the policies that Russia advances in these same parts of the world. This fact may serve as testament to the inability of those behind the brochure to tell an “academic publication” from a “pseudo-academic publication”.

As for the massive funds that the US State Department allocates on the release of such papers and the initiatives that are associated with such, it’s an entirely different topic. However, the glaringly low quality of such studies shows that it’s not a case of money being well-spent. But what else can one expect from those who can just print money?

Have we noticed anything new in the aforementioned paper from the point of view of the principles that guide the way media sources operate? It seems that if somebody replaced the word “Russia” with the word “US”, nobody would notice any difference. Now, look who’s talking!

One wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the massive US experience in spreading information that serves its interests the best was used to make the evaluation of Russian media sources.

However, our editorial board remains grateful to those readers and authors who remain committed to the principles that our journal professes, to the objective, intellectual, analytical approach to the coverage of international events.

The New Eastern Outlook editorial board.

Dear readers and authors,

We want to full-heartedly congratulate you on the 75th anniversary of the great victory of the Second World War. This is a day of our common memory, a day of celebration of a great feat.

Victory Day unites everyone, regardless of their religious views, of their nationality, and of their political and social alignment. After all, there is no family in Russia that wasn’t affected by this conflict, granted there were countless families in other states that endured suffering and hardship of one of the most terrible and bloody wars in history.

There’s monuments all over the vast expanse of Russia and far beyond its borders commemorating the soldiers that made the ultimate sacrifice during this war. The eternal flame will never stop burning, as on this day people come to pay gratitude and lay flowers. With the deepest respect and sorrow, we bow our heads to those fallen on the battlefield. We thank them for the opportunity of living under peaceful skies for the last 75 years, building cities, cultivating crops and raising children. The more days that go by, the deeper our awareness becomes of this great feat achieved on the battlefield.

Having liberated the world from the Nazi threat, the Soviet people have always been persistent in their attempts of protecting the world. And today, Russia stands for the cessation of all wars, for peaceful and constructive discussions, for the cooperation of all peoples in the name of common good and the improvement of people’s lives.

On the day of the Great Victory, we wish everyone good health, heartfelt warmth, care and attention of those who are dear to your, and may every new day be peaceful, with clear skies over our heads!

The New Eastern Outlook editorial board.

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